I never really understood the hype about having a morning routine. Mornings seemed simple to me – just get up and get the day started because I knew what I needed to do, right?
Sure I may have known what I intended to do, but if I am being honest, my reality was that my mornings (and whole entire day for that matter) were a total shit show on repeat. I was always chasing every minute of the day trying to catch up. I have literally worn myself out to no avail and I knew things had to change.
Let me be the first to let you in on a little secret – starting your day like a fire drill is not the move in 2020. So going into the new decade, I decided I would work on establishing better habits that align with my vision for my life. Yes I said my LIFE. Not just the week, but how could I truly commit to making positive lifestyle changes that would serve me well every day no matter what goal I am trying to achieve, the to-do list on my plate, or interruptions that are bound to happen.
I’ve been in need of a miracle morning for quite some time. But before we get into what has changed, I want to share a bit about what my mornings and days use to look like:
My Shit Show Morning & Day
- Alarm goes off at 7am
- Hits snooze 50-11 times
- Oversleeps for at least another hour if not more
- Hauling ass to take a shower and get dressed
- Head to the subway station praying no delays because I’m already running late
- Stank attitude is on deck by the time I arrive at the office, praying again, but this time that the day would just hurry up and end so I can get home
- Get home and work on one of my side projects even though I am exhausted
- Stay up too late watching TV (usually around 2:30am) because I feel I didn’t have any real time to myself
- Rinse and repeat and do that same song and dance all over again the next morning.
I can’t even front. I was a hot mess in 2019 and prior. So as we all tend to do when a new year is approaching, I took some time to reflect on the things I needed to change because my life had gotten way off course. A morning routine was very high on my list of things that needed structure if I was going to start taking control and creating the life I wanted.
I did a little brainstorming before the start of the year to map out my miracle morning and thought about what could help me to feel my best and get the most out of each day going forward. This is the improved morning routine I came up with and started practicing :
My Miracle Morning Routine
- Wake up 5am
- Tall glass of cold water to speed up waking up my body
- Throw on gym clothes and walk to gym (I listen to a positive/spiritual podcast message from Joel Osteen, T.D. Jakes, Oprah’s Soulful Conversations, etc. on the walk & take a few notes using Evernote)
- Workout – 5:40am – 6:50am
- Shower & Get Ready for work 7:15am – 8:00am
- Have cup of Ginger Tea and journal, read a few pages from whatever book I am reading, or finish remainder of podcast if I didn’t finish on the walk – 8:00am – 8:45am
- Identify top priories for the day & set intention
- Head out to catch subway to the office 9:00am
In a matter of about 3 weeks of practicing my miracle morning routine, so much changed. They were literally the best weeks I’d had in an extremely long time. For one, I managed to stick to the routine and remain consistent. I now look forward to kicking off each day as an opportunity to feed my mind with a positive message and make my health a top priority. Not much seems to throw me off my game and get me in a funk anymore. Even if something comes up that’s unexpected, I can rest assured I did the important work I needed to do for myself already. My attitude improved and has gotten so much more positive and upbeat. My creative juices are flowing and I’ve been able to zone in on my feelings and thoughts a lot more (especially on my walks home from gym). Overall I feel so much better, more confident and in control of my day and life from something as simple as a morning routine.
Some of the key lessons I learned going from my fire drill morning to my new miracle morning are that:
- Planning is key – You can’t go into a routine blindly. You have to be realistic about what you want to accomplish, why, and the time you are allotting yourself to do it. Give yourself a little buffer and don’t try to pack too much in and be a hero.
- Routines should be flexible – If something doesn’t go as planned, it’s ok. Constantly take note of what works and what did not work and how you can change it up in the coming week to optimize your chance for success. It may take a few configurations, but you will eventually get it right. Just remain flexible to change if you need to.
- Routines should be tracked – Have a place where you can plan out and manage the details of your routine. You also should be able to provide feedback for yourself on how it’s going and what you need to tweak. This is great for accountability and keeps you from having remember so much in your head.
What do you do to kick off your morning and get your day moving in the right direction? Sound off in the comments and let me know.
